Huntress of War
by XAgent-Venom666X
Summary: Struck down by Cinder, Pyrrha didn't expect to awaken in a world far more dangerous than hers could ever hope to be. Alone, she finds herself dragged into a war that will determine the fate of Humanity, and her only chance to make it out alive is to trust the ones tasked with saving it. The odds are against her, but she's still a huntress. And she'll fight to the bitter end.
1. Trailer

**("Shooting the Moon" - by Mona)**

_**"...Do you believe in destiny?"**_

_**"Yes."**_

Green eyes snapped open with a sharp gasp.

X

Pyrrha standing in the middle of a destroyed city. Hand to her chest where Cinder's arrow had struck.

"Where am I?"

X

The huntress standing with a bent pipe in hand while five Locust drones charging at her. Preparing to fend them off.

Gunfire erupts, the drones fall over dead under the barrage.

Pyrrha looked to the source and found two men in heavy armor. One with a bandana on his head holding a rifle with a chainsaw beneath its smoking barrel.

X

Sitting between the men that saved her on a King Raven as it flew over the ruined city below. She looked at the asian man across from them who was looking her over skeptically.

"Welcome to Delta squad."

X

Bullets flew everywhere, tearing into the concrete that the team were hunkered down behind.

Seeing the others in trouble, Pyrrha stood, summoning her semblance and yanking the weapons out of the hands of the Locust shooting at them. Giving the squad the chance to gun them down.

When everything went quiet, Delta team looked at her in stunned silence.

X

A Berserker crashing through a wall, sending bricks and debris flying while Pyrrha glared at the behemoth with her teeth gritted.

X

Large holes erupted from the ground. Pale, scale covered hands grabbing the edge as more enemies pulled themselves to the surface.

The huntress standing with the members of Delta squad as they all fired at the beasts trying to kill them.

X

A Corpser roaring at the Humans before it. Marcus and Dom shooting it while the young woman beside them threw barrels of immulsion at it with her semblance.

X

"Yeah baby! That's what I'm talkin' about!" Cole cheered at Pyrrha who stood amongst a dozen dead Wretches.

X

Dom holding her in a fatherly embrace as she cried.

X

Baird jamming his chainsaw bayonet into the back of a drone trying to strangle the young huntress. Roaring in vengeful fury.

X

Marcus patting her on the back with a half smile, causing her to smile back.

X

General RAAM stomping down a destroyed street with dozens of drones around him and Kryll flying in the darkening sky above.

X

"It doesn't matter where you're from." said Marcus, "You're one of us now. And we always look after our own."

Pyrrha in full COG armor, Lancer in hand with Marcus and Dom on one side and Cole and Baird on the other. The Locust horde roaring as they charged the team who all opened fire on the coming tide.

X

_**HUNTRESS OF WAR**_

_**Coming Soon**_


	2. Prologue: Fall of a Champion

**A/N: Welcome all, welcome. I've been off the grid for a while going over the stories I have written thus far and making a laundry list of plans for what I plan to do with them. Two of which being only trailers, and now the time has come to put the work into one of them thanks to a strong bout of inspiration.**

**There aren't a whole lot of Gears of War/RWBY stories out there, so I decided to take a crack at it. And the best character I could base this story around would be the one and only Pyrrha Nikos. **

**Her death at the end of Volume 3 of the series had shocked a lot of us, and it was a moment none of us would be forgetting. Especially with how it affected those she left behind. Sad as it is, it leaves a golden opportunity for what I have planned. And I know that at least a few of you out there want to see how the 'Invincible Girl' will far in a world where war is a constant, and extinction could happen at anytime.**

**So let's wind the clocks back and get the ball rolling.**

**(As per usual, I own nothing)**

**X**

_Do you believe in destiny?_

_A question that can hold an enormous amount of meaning depending on the person. Five simple words that makes one truly think. About their past, their present and their future, about their choices, their mistakes, their triumphs, all of it coming together and forming an answer._

_However, this question can also lead to many more. Ones that can be even harder to answer for many. _

_Albeit trivial for most, there are a select few, depending on the circumstances, who consider this and truly think upon it. One such person, was Pyrrha Nikos._

_An eighteen year old huntress in training, whose skills and prowess on the battlefield made her into a four time champion and adored by countless fans all across Remnant. But the young woman didn't care much for the fame, or the attention that came with it._

_Pyrrha merely wanted to make the world a better place. To make friends who saw the person and not the celebrity while protecting the innocent. And when she entered Beacon Academy in Vale, her hopes had been answered._

_Over the course of her first year she had made great friends, ones that she cherished above all else. One of which slightly above the others. That person being her team leader and partner Jaune Arc._

_Even though he had forged his way into the Academy, had barely any training and even had his aura still locked before they had met. His courage and determination made him an inspiration, and his kindness and all around goofiness helped him worm his way into the young champion's heart._

_Sadly, he never saw her affection. He being too oblivious while at the same time she was scared of losing the priceless bond they had formed together. So she admired him from afar while at the same time helping to hone his skills so that he too would achieve his dream of being a hunter._

_Life was simple for Pyrrha. School, friends and fighting the creatures of Grimm, but she loved every moment of it as she and the others prepared for a tournament being held in Vale at the end of their school year..._

_And then...things changed._

_Along with several others, the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin, had revealed to her in private a shocking truth that had been kept secret from the kingdoms of their world. Along with a grave threat that could plunge their world into chaos._

_Pyrrha's whole world had been yanked out from under her, a great weight placed on her shoulders when Ozpin had informed her that the only way for them to at the very least delay the coming darkness, would be to go through something that could result in either her death, or losing her very soul._

_All to keep a mystical power out of the wrong hands by transferring the soul of a dying woman into her body..._

_Given the nature of the situation, she couldn't tell her friends or her team mates. Left alone, trying to decide what she could do, what she SHOULD do. It was almost too much for her and an answer was nowhere in sight._

_Sadly, fate had a horrible way of forcing ones hand._

_During her match in the tournament. Something affected Pyrrha's mind, causing her to accidentally kill her opponent who turned out to be a machine disguised as a girl her age. The influx of negative emotions from the incident brought a massive horde of Grimm to their boarders, and their enemies who had been laying in weight went on the attack. _

_All of Vale was in chaos. _

_Robotic soldiers brought in from the kingdom of Atlas turned on them. There was fighting everywhere. And people where dying with each passing minute._

_The students of Beacon, her friends, and the other schools rose up and fought with everything they had to save the falling kingdom. _

_But for Pyrrha, she had made up her mind about the headmaster's plan and decided to go along with it. With a confused and worried Jaune with her, she prepared herself to take in the dying woman's soul, only for the mastermind behind the attack to kill her and take the power as her own._

_Fleeing under Ozpin's orders, the two partners went back to the school's courtyard where the fighting was the heaviest. The odds heavily against them as their enemies continued to grow in number._

_Realizing that the madness needed to end, Pyrrha chose to do what she could to save Vale. To save her friends._

_Jaune tried to stop her, but the champion smiled before kissing him. Pouring all of the emotions she felt for him in that one moment before shoving him into a locker and sending it flying away to a safer location. _

_With tears in her eyes, she entered the school, weapons ready and prepared to take down the woman behind it all._

_Or die trying._

**X**

Never before had she been pushed so far to her limits. But Pyrrha, for the first time in a long time, was on the losing end of a battle.

What made the situation even more dire was the city of Vale burning in the distance while she fought the one behind all the chaos at the top of what was left of Beacon tower.

Even with all her strength, skill and her semblance over polarity, she found herself outmatched and overpowered by the newly risen Fall Maiden. But she refused to give up, refused to quit, too many people were counting on her. Her friends were counting on her.

Jaune was counting on her.

Having been thrown back by a burst of flames, her weapon Milo having been broken to pieces in the grip of her opponent thanks to the extreme heat she was emitting. Pyrrha quickly got back to her feet as the villainess summoned a bow and arrow made of glass to her hands.

Steeling herself, the champion threw her shield, Akouo like a disk just as her opponent fired. The arrow hitting the edge of the shield, coming apart in particles that flowed over the projectile and reformed on the other side mid-flight.

Pyrrha screamed when the arrow pierced through her leg at her ankle, dropping her to the floor of the ruined tower. Attempting to stand only to collapse back down as the glass projectile broke, leaving a large piece still in her.

"It's unfortunate that you were promised a power that was never truly yours." Cinder spoke walking around the downed champion as she managed to bring herself to her hands and knees.

The villainess knelt down, grabbing the young huntress' chin making her look up at her. "But take comfort in knowing that I will be using it in ways you could have never imagined." she said with a grin of victory.

Pyrrha glared back at the woman, and spoke through the pain;

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Cinder scowled at her as she stood and took a step back, summoning her bow again, arrow notched aimed to make the final blow.

"Yes."

In the next moment, the arrow pierced the young champion. A sharp gasp of pain leaving her as he hand came up and held the shaft now sticking out of her chest, her aura having long since broken and unable to protect or heal her now of all times.

She couldn't breathe, either from the shock or the pain she couldn't tell as her executioner approached. Standing over her with her Maiden powers shrouding her form, her hand reaching out to finish her-

"PYRRHA!" A familiar voice screamed just before the whole world exploded in a flash of silver/white light.

**X**

_For a long time, she didn't feel much of anything. There was no sights, sounds, smells, almost like all of her senses were suddenly switched off leaving her mind to wander._

_She thought about her last moments, her fight against Cinder, and the feel of her last arrow through her chest. More than that, she thought about her friends, knowing that deep down she didn't regret her choice to fight._

_She'd given her life for her friends, for the people of Vale, for Remnant. It was her goal as a huntress in training to protect her world. But if there was one thing she did regret, was leaving the others. Leaving Jaune, when there was so much left unsaid. Her only hope was that they were all okay._

_Time was completely unknown to the young champion as she seemed to simply exist in some kind of unknown miasma. Wondering if this was what she would look forward too now that she had passed on...but then feeling began to return to her._

_A dull ache that hummed through her body. Starting in the center of her chest and her ankle where Cinder's arrows had struck, soon after the dull pain was replaced with a warmth that started at the core of her being and spread to her head and toes, all of her senses returning to her as the everything around her started to shift._

**X**

Emerald-green eyes snapped open with a gasp, blinking several times as the world around her swam into focus.

Pyrrha found herself laying facedown on chunk of cracked pavement. Pushing herself up slowly, she looked around to see a city in ruins all around her.

Buildings crumbling, walls torn down exposing the interiors. The street she woke up on was cracked with large chunks missing and fissures broken through straight into the ground underneath, battered husks of cars scattered everywhere along with the debris from everything else.

Getting to her feet, Pyrrha was surprised to find her wounds from her battle with Cinder were nonexistent. She could also feel her aura back which more than likely had helped her heal.

She was still in her armor, but her headpiece was missing along with her shield. But that was the very least of her worries. Taking another look at the ruined city around her, the young huntress first thought she was in the middle of Vale, but quickly realized that wasn't the case.

The architecture wasn't right, the cars and other metal structures had layers of rust on them that takes years to develop. And the air was heavy with a staleness that didn't belong in a once thriving city.

Worst of all...everything was quiet. Like a grave.

Pyrrha had a feeling of dread seep into her stomach, something was wrong with all of this, very wrong. Where was she? Where was everybody else? How did she get here? Questions made a long list in her mind as she kept trying to figure out just where she had ended up.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing off the crumbling walls around her. "Hello! Can anyone hear me?!" she tried again, but only dead silence was her answer.

Shivering as the dread she was feeling got worse, the champion shook herself. She needed to focus, figure out where she was and see if she could get back to her friends.

Gasping in realization, Pyrrha reached into the hidden pocket of her armor and fished out her scroll, which had thankfully survived the fight with only a small crack on the screen. Opening it up, her little bit of hope perished when **'No Signal'** blinked back at her

Sighing, she put the scroll back where she had gotten it and steeled her resolve. First she needed to get her hands on a weapon just incase. Her gaze falling on a piece of rebar the length of a spear with a sharp end. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being unarmed.

Picking up the long piece of metal, the champion took a deep breath before she set off farther into the city. Hoping to find some sign of life that could help her while trying to figure out just what happened.

Completely unaware of the ember eyes watching her from the shadows within a nearby building. A deep, rumbling voice hissing with malicious intent as they watched the huntress sharply.

_**"Ground walkerssssssss."**_

**X**

**A/N: Short for an opening, but I'm going to be making the chapters that follow a lot longer. I just needed a small stepping stone to get everything going.**

**I already have the next update in the works, and I'll try to update one to two times a week depending on my schedule. But rest assured, I intend on making this story memorable!**

**Read, review and keep kicking ass folks, and I'll see you all next time!**


	3. Act 1 - Part 1: New World, New Enemies

**A/N: It's been just about a week since my last posting, and the turnabout isn't too bad.**

**I'm still hitting my stride with this story, so it'll take a bit of time before I really get the ball rolling. Though the work will pay off well enough in the end.**

**Before we start the next chapter, there is one thing I need to bring to the attention of my readers. Who ever the 'Guest' is that keeps dropping the *N* word whenever they put a review up...KNOCK THAT SH** OFF! I'm all for freedom of speech and expression, but there is no need for that BS especially here. I won't stand for it and neither will anyone else who reads it. Your reviews will keep being taken down just as quickly as they are posted, so get your rocks off another way.**

**Now, with that out of the way. Lets get back to the real reason everyone is here.**

**X**

After nearly two hours of walking, Pyrrha started to lose hope when she didn't find a single living soul among the ruins. Not even animals. The entire city was desolate which left the young huntress with a horrible sense of unease.

What had happened to this place? Where was everyone? Nothing made sense, and despite keeping herself calm on the outside, inside she was worried about her friends. And if the state of this city had befallen Vale in her absence.

Traveling another block, Pyrrha paused. Her eyes sweeping the shattered windows around her. Her grip on the sharpened rebar in her hand, a shiver went up her spine as the feeling of being watched passed over her, and not for the first time.

Even though she had yet to find anyone, her instincts were telling her that someone or something was out there.

Just as quickly as the feeling came, it went away. Shaking her head, the champion continued on. Holding out a sliver of hope that she would locate some sign of life. Rounding the corner at the end of the street she was on and climbing over a small barricade of derelict cars, a sudden crash made her stop in her tracks.

On the other side of the road, two men in ragged clothes came stumbling out of a building that had once been a store.

Shocked at finally finding other people, Pyrrha approached them with caution to seem as least threatening as possible.

"Excuse me!" she called out, causing the two men to jump and whirl around on her with wide eyes. "Hello, can you-"

"S-STAY BACK!" one of the men shouted, brandishing a revolver-like pistol and aiming at the young huntress.

Pyrrha took an immediate step back and held up her hands, "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm a huntress. I'm trying to find-"

"I SAID STAY BACK! WE'RE NOT FALLING FOR ANY OF YOUR FUCKING COG BULLSHIT!" the same man shouted, his arm shaking wildly.

"Please, put the gun down. I mean you no harm." the champion tried to reason with the man, hoping to avoid violence.

The man went to speak again when gunfire suddenly erupted from nearby. The head of the other man beside him exploded in a shower of blood and bone, his body toppling over like a puppet without strings.

"Oh no! They're-" the armed man was cut off when a barrage of slugs tore through his body and sent him crashing to the ground. Choking on the blood in the back of his throat, he looked up just in time to see a large boot coming down on his head, crushing it as though it were a rotten fruit on the pavement.

Pyrrha was frozen in stunned horror at the sudden display of brutality before she managed to get a look at the one who had just killed the two men.

It was a hulking, bipedal creature. Well over a foot above her own height covered in pale, scaly skin that looked tougher than kevlar wearing a set of heavy armor the color of blood and rust. It didn't have hair, but it had a great deal of muscle packed onto its frame, a pair of ember colored eyes leered at the huntress while a mouth of sharp teeth sneered.

_**"Die ground walkersssssss."**_ the creature hissed with a voice sounding like it was gargling gravel as it raised the bulky rifle in its hands.

Having a split second to register the danger, Pyrrha snapped out of her frozen state and dove behind the remains of a car just as a hail of slugs tore into the other side. Whatever this creature was, it was far more than a simple threat and needed to be taken out quickly.

Gripping her makeshift weapon, the champion waited for the gunfire to cease before leaping out of cover and charging the monster as it was in the process of reloading its weapon.

Sticking her hand out, she called upon her semblance over polarity. The clip being fed into the rifle was ripped from the creature's hand and sent clattering to the ground, leaving it open as Pyrrha struck it in the side of the head with the blunt side of her 'spear'.

The creature turned its head back toward the huntress and growled almost ferally. It swung its empty rifle at the red-head who ducked under the swing and delivered a sharp kick to its armored chest, making stumble back a step.

Spinning her makeshift spear, Pyrrha delivered a series of strikes to the monster. But the rebar was doing barely any damage against its hardened skin and armor. Seeing this, she quickly changed tactics and tried to find a weakness.

Hissing, the creature swung its weapon at her again like a large club and forcing her to avoid taking a direct hit. Bringing her own weapon up at a sharp angle, she knocked the rifle from the monster's hand with a sharp impact to its wrist. The champion followed up by a hard strike to its chin, forcing its head up.

Pyrrha didn't hesitate as she drove the sharp end of her weapon through the soft flesh of its neck. The creature gagged, grabbing the chunk of metal and tearing it out with blood gushing down from the wound and its mouth.

Stunned at the monster's resilience, the champion looked around for another weapon and found the revolver the man from before had aimed at her. Using her semblance, it shot from the ground to her waiting hand just as the creature charged her as it continued to bleed.

Without thinking twice she pulled the trigger, the large handgun kicking hard and the top left half of the creature's head disappeared in blast of blood and grey matter.

The reptilian-humanoid stumbled forward another half step before collapsing face-first to the ground. A pool of dark crimson already forming under it from the hole blown through its skull.

Pyrrha stumbled back until she was leaning against the old car she had taken cover behind. A wave of nausea hitting her, not being used to such carnage and bloodshed. Despite her goal of becoming a huntress, and knowing that such things were to be expected, it was still the first time she had really killed something other than Grimm.

Taking a couple deep breaths to calm her nerves, the champion slowly approached the creature she had killed and got a closer look.

It definitely wasn't a Grimm or a Human, could it have been some kind of reptile faunus? It wasn't one that she had seen or heard about before if that was the case.

Turning her attention to the two dead men, sorrow overcoming her at having been unable to save them from such a fate. Though she didn't have time to dwell too much on it as the ground began to shake.

Keeping her feet firmly planted and keeping herself upright, Pyrrha saw a chunk of the ground several feet away from her suddenly crack and split before rising up and collapsing beneath the surface.

A couple seconds ticked by before several pale, scaly hands reached up out of the opening and grabbed the edge. Eight more of the same creatures climbed up out of the hole, each of them wearing similar armor as the first and brandishing a gun of somekind. Their eyes all locking onto the young champion, their eyes protraying only hate and rage her way as they brought their weapons to bare.

Revolver still in hand, Pyrrha reached out and brought her makeshift spear back to her other hand as she prepared to fight.

**X**

Elsewhere in the city, two men in full armor walked down one of the many desolate streets. One of hispanic descent with short black hair and beard with a tattoo on his arm that read **'Maria'**.

The other man had a bandana covering his head and had a soul-patch on his chin. Three long scars ran across his hardened face, coupled with his blue-steel colored eyes made him look dangerous.

They were Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, soldiers in the COG military of Sera. The latter had just broken his childhood friend out of a maximum security prison known as The Slab after Colonel Hoffman had pardoned all the prisoners to help them in their war against the Locust Horde.

Dom had been sent in with a set of armor for Marcus when it was discovered he was too far inside the facility and needed help in escaping. They then had to fight their way through several squads of Locust drones, but the King Raven that was supposed to pick them up had reported heavy activity in the air and couldn't risk landing at the prison.

With directions given to them by the Lieutenant on board, the two men made their way to the nearest city to establish a new LZ so they could be picked up.

Marcus' sharp, experienced eyes scanned the surrounding buildings. Expecting an ambush at any moment. Too many firefights and near death incidents caused him to develop a near sixth sense when it came to dangerous situations.

The city was too quiet. Too many places where they could be jumped by grubs or a desperate stranded. But they didn't have many options.

_"Delta-1, this is Lieutenant Kim. What's your sitrep?"_ a voice came in over their comms.

"Dom here. We're making progress. Just need to find an area with enough space for you to land. Over." said Dom with two fingers in his ear.

_"Copy that. Double time it you two."_ their superior ordered before the line went quiet.

"Sounds like he's in a hurry to be somewhere." Marcus stated as they kept moving. "Any idea?"

Dom shook his head, "Dunno. We'll find out when we get lifted out though." the two Gears snapped their lancer rifles up when then heard gunfire somewhere closeby.

"Lieutenant, is there any other squads deployed out here?" asked Marcus as they started running toward the disturbance.

_"Negative, city's barren. Why, what's happening?"_

"Got gunfire close to our location. We're not alone out here."

The men rounded another corner and paused when they took in the scene before them.

A small squad of Locust drones were attacking a young woman with bright-red hair and bronze colored armor who was holding them off with a long rebar and a Boltok revolver. Three of the drones laid dead on the ground while the rest tried to kill her.

To the utter surprise of the two Gears, the girl ducked and dodged around the grubs, delivering solid hits with her makeshift weapon while firing the occasional shot from the heavy pistol. One of the drones tried to get her from behind, but she dropped low and drove the metal rod up through its jaw into its head.

She quickly spun the now dead Locust around just as another fired a shotgun at her. The creatures back getting shredded by the buckshot but missing the intended target as the girl fired several shots from under her 'shield's' arm and taking it out.

"Dom, are you seeing this?" asked Marcus, not taking his eyes off the fight.

"Seeing, still working on believing." replied Dom in the same boat as his friend.

The girl kept fighting and doing well for herself, but the two experienced soldiers began to see that she was going to be overwhelmed if they didn't do something and fast.

Bringing their lancers up, they ran forward and opened fire on the attacking drones.

**X**

Pyrrha stumbled back, makeshift spear in hand with fresh blood dripping down the shaft onto her hands.

She was beginning to grow tired, her aura had taken a couple of hits and she had only managed to bring down half of the monsters attacking her. Her skills and natural dexterity kept her from being cornered, but they were relentless and surprisingly resilient.

The young huntress would have give just about anything to have Milo and Akouo with her at that moment.

Getting ready for another round, she found herself surprised when the creatures were brought down in a hail of gunfire. Their bodies hitting the pavement one after another until she was the only one left standing.

Her attention was immediately drawn to where the rounds had come from and found two men in full armor standing there. Both wielding rifles with chainsaws beneath the smoking barrels.

A heavy silence befell the street as the champion kept her gaze locked onto the new arrivals. Her 'weapon' lowered, but her guard still up considering what had just transpired.

"You good?" asked the man wearing the bandana with scars on his face. His voice rough and commanding.

Pyrrha nodded, "Y-Yes. Thank you."

The other man approached one of the downed creatures after having seen the two other men who had been killed by them and kicked it with his boot, "Fucking grubs." he cursed before turning his attention to the young woman. "Those were some pretty good moves back there, not a lot of people could take on grubs like that with only a chunk of metal and a pistol."

"Grubs?" asked the huntress in confusion as she looked down at the dead monsters.

"Yeah, Locust drones. We call 'em grubs." replied Marcus, "What's your name, kid?"

"Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos."

The Gear nodded, "Marcus Fenix. This is Dom Santiago. What're you doing out here, Nikos?" he asked after introducing the two of them.

"I..." the champion sighed deeply, "Honestly, I'm more than a bit lost. I don't think I'm anywhere near home."

"Maybe we can help." offered Dom, his old fatherly instincts kicking in.

Pyrrha smiled at the man's kindness, "Thank you, but I don't think that you'll be able to help me. I highly doubt either of you would even believe me considering."

"Try us." said Marcus, a little curious. The girl looked more than a little out of place considering the state of their world, but she fought almost as well as soldiers twice her size.

Hesitating for a brief moment, the young huntress began to explain what had happened to her before she woke up and all of the events that had led to it.

At first there was some disbelief, the idea of someone from a completely different world was more than a little far fetched. But then Pyrrha took out her scroll which further surprised them. The small device was more advanced that anything their world could produce, even before E-Day.

When she was finished, the two Gears were left with a lot to think about. "I know it is a lot to consider. But it is the truth." the young huntress said. Part of her not believing it herself with what had happened, so she doubted that the two men would even-

"I believe you." said Marcus, causing her to blink.

"You do?" Pyrrha asked surprised.

"If there's one thing I've learned with all the shit that's happened, it's that weird shit happens all the time. Best not to dwell on the specifics."

Dom nodded, "I'm with Marcus on this one. Besides, even without that scroll of yours you stand out way too much." he said while motioning to her combat attire.

The champion rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "What happens now?" she asked after a moment.

Before either of the Gears could respond they received a call over their comms;

_"Delta-1, I need an update on your situation. Over."_

"Delta-1 here, we found the source of the disturbance." said Dom.

_"Has the situation been dealt with?"_

The man cast a look at Pyrrha, "Yeah, everything here is all clear."

_"Glad to hear it. We spotted a good LZ not too far from your location. A courtyard behind a building at the end of the street. Meet us there, over."_

"Wilko. Delta-1 out." Dom turned to Marcus, "We better get moving before more grubs show up." he then looked toward Pyrrha, "We could use a bit more help on our mission. I don't know much in terms of details, but its supposed to help us really stick it to the Locust."

The champion bit her lip in thought. One the one hand she still knew nothing of this world, and getting involved in what was obviously a war between two species wasn't something she had been hoping for.

But on the other, she had seen what these Locust were capable of. The amount of hate she had seen in their eyes and how they heartlessly killed innocent people without remorse reminded her way too much of the Grimm.

Even if she wasn't home, she was still a huntress. And there were people out there that needed to be saved. And perhaps she would learn more about this world along the way, and possibly a way to get back home in the process.

Making her decision, Pyrrha nodded to the Gears who both smiled back at her. "You're gonna need a better weapon then." said Marcus as he kicked the body of a drone over and picked up the rifle it had been using, which was one just like what he and Dom were using.

After loading a fresh clip into the lancer and racking the bolt-handle, the accent lights on the gun changed from orange to blue before he handed it over to the young huntress. "Think you can handle this?"

Accepting the rifle, Pyrrha took a moment to grow accustomed to the weight. "It's not what I usually arm myself with. But I can manage." she stated as Marcus handed her a couple of clips for her new weapon that she slipped into the pockets of her armor.

With everything ready, the trio began making their way in the direction of the landing zone. Moving with haste as to not encounter anymore Locust that could be laying in wait for them.

Luck was on their side as they reached the courtyard, the King Raven appeared in the air above them and lowered to the ground with the troop compartment opening.

They had just started making their approach when the ground beneath them started shaking. "What is that?" Pyrrha asked, gripping her new weapon as she tried to find the source.

"Shit! Marcus, Pyrrha, get on the Raven now!" Dom shouted a they started running to the transport. The ground behind them started to tear upward as something large began to rip its way through.

The chopper began taking off as a massive creature that looked like a crossbreed of a crab and some kind of insect burst through the ground. Long, spider-like legs covered in armor stabbed the dirt, pulling its towering frame out of the crater it had made. Multiple glowing yellow eyes watched the Raven take off as it let loose a bellowing roar that echoed throughout the entire city.

**X**

Pyrrha shivered at the sight of the behemoth they had narrowly avoided before settling on the bench of the transport between Marcus and Dom. Across from them was a man of asian descent with a bald head and another soldier in a helmet sitting on the edge of the compartment opening.

"Welcome to Delta squad." the asian man said as they flew away to parts unknown.

**X**

**A/N: Pyrrha has met the boys of Delta Squad, and is now part of the war that'll decide Sera's fate. The real question is if she'll be able to rise to the challenge with the threats she will soon be facing?**

**Next update already in the works, and they will start getting long now that I've got the initial introductions out of the way. Until next time folks!**


	4. Act 1 - Part 2: Delta

**A/N: Hello folks and welcome back. **

**Chapters are still coming up on the short side, but I'm still intending on changing that later down the road. Just wanted to make sure the first three were done just right and set up the introduction the way I was hoping.**

**Then again, I'll simply let the content speak for itself for now.**

**X**

The loud hum of transport's engines filled the troop compartment, broken by the occasional burst of gunfire from the Gear sitting on the edge of the open hatch as he shot toward the ground below them.

Pyrrha looked out at the landscape passing below them, seeing the ruins of what had once been a thriving civilization now nothing more than desolate ruins.

_"What happened to this world?"_ she thought to herself. A light nudge to her shoulder turned her attention to Dom who was handing her a canteen. Smiling in thanks as she accepted the offering and took a long drink of the water it contained before handing it back.

"Where we goin'?" Marcus asked from her other side to the man across from them, who the champion had learned was named Minh Young Kim

"Embry Square, Colonel Hoffman's waiting for us." the Lieutenant looked toward their unexpected passenger. "He will also want a reason why we picked up a straggler."

"Hoffman?" asked Marcus before he leaned back against the hull of the Raven with a groan. "Aw, shit."

Dom chuckled and elbowed his friend, "This is gonna be awesome."

Pyrrha wondered about the man's reaction to his superior's name when the unknown soldier suddenly spoke up. "Hey, are you THE Marcus Fenix? The one who fought as as Aspho Fields?"

"Yup." replied the man, lacking enthusiasm.

"Wow, cool!" the soldier replied before he resumed his original actions.

Marcus however shook his head, "Not really." he said in a somber tone which had the young huntress looking at him in concern. Wondering how much the man had been through, what everyone in this place had been through.

A few minutes passed before the Raven touched down in a courtyard in front of a building utop a large flight of stairs. Right across from another Raven where an older man in similar armor to the others stood tall, flanked by two other Gears with a deep scowl on his face and a hat on his head signifying his rank.

The group of five disembarked the transport. Pyrrha being the last as she held her new rifle in hand. "Uh, hey." She looked up and saw the full armored Gear that had been with them walking beside her. "Name's Anthony Carmine. Thought I would introduce myself since we might be working together from here on out."

"Pyrrha Nikos, it's nice to meet you Anthony." Pyrrha replied kindly.

"You! A traitor like you doesn't deserve to wear the uniform!" everyone paused when the grizzled Colonel addressed Marcus heavily with contempt.

"Looks to me like you could use all the help you can get." Marcus replied in the same tone.

Hoffman sneered at him, "Step aside." He walked past the man and stopped when he saw Pyrrha. "Who the hell is this?" he demanded.

"We found her fighting off a squad of grubs on our way to the LZ." said Dom, coming to the girl's defense. "Took them out with a chunk of rebar and a Boltok, she's got skills. Thought she could give us a hand, and she's more than willing to help."

The Colonel looked the huntress over with a critical eye, making her more than a little nervous. "What's your name girl?"

"P-Pyrrha Nikos...sir." she quickly added, knowing she was dealing with a military superior while trying to keep her nervousness in check.

"What are your intentions here, Nikos?" Hoffman demanded rather than asked.

"To help as many people as I can and save lives." replied the huntress with honesty.

The man gave her another hard stare before nodding once and turning his attention to Kim. "Lieutenant, I've got good news. We have a plan to end this war, once and for all."

"Yeah right." Dom muttered.

"Is he always so..." Pyrrha trailed off.

"Believe me, this is one of his good days." Marcus grunted out before a female voice suddenly came over the comms.

_"Sensors are picking up enemy movement, sir. Close by."_ all eyes trailed to the second King Raven where a women in a grey officers uniform and blonde hair in a bun stepped off. Her gaze was met by one coming from Marcus, a look of surprise and a bit of adoration on his scarred face that was met by a smile coming from the woman.

The young huntress saw the exchange and couldn't help a small smile at the obvious connection between them.

The moment didn't last long when the helmet of one of the soldier's beside the woman exploded, spraying her with blood and gore as a bellowing warcry emitted from the top of the steps.

"LOCUST!" Dom shouted as drones started charging toward them with guns blazing.

"Move!" Marcus bellowed as they all dove behind sandbag walls and returned fire on the incoming attackers. Pyrrha found herself hunkered down beside Anthony, bullets whizzing over her head before she started shooting back.

The lancer was heavier than what she was used to, and the recoil was a bit hard to control at first. But she managed to get a tight enough grip on the rifle and took down a couple of drones that crossed her field of vision.

"We now have the Lightmass bomb!" Hoffman said over all the chaos to the Lieutenant. "I'll take all these bastards with one shot! But it can't work if we don't have the targeting data! That's why we need the resonator!"

"Fuck! Watch the sides!" Marcus shouted as several explosions went off around them.

"It'll map their tunnels, so that we can hit those sons of bitches where they live!" the Colonel continued.

The other Gear who had been on Hoffman's Raven was taken down with a barrage of slugs. "Up high!" called Dom, pointing to the top of the steps where more drones were coming out of the openings.

Marcus slapped a fresh clip into his lancer, "Now I'm pissed!" He stood up and mowed down several Locust, their bodies collapsing and rolling down the stone stairs. He dropped back into cover just as a grenade exploded on the other side of his and Dom's cover.

"We've lost contact with Alpha Squad. Last transmission was from her in Embry Square." said Hoffman. "I want you to get in there, find those men, and deploy that resonator!"

"Will we have air support?" asked Kim.

The Colonel gave him a look, "What? Are you kidding?! You ARE the support son!"

"Down to two!" Marcus shouted. Anthony and Pyrrha both stood and killed the mentioned Locusts, putting an end to the firefight.

"Nemacyst are keeping our birds out of the area. You'll have to move in on foot" said Hoffman more clearly not that things were quiet again.

"So we're screwed. " said Dom while Marcus gave the all clear.

"But the Lieutenant here will be feeding you intel." added the Colonel as they all stood back up.

Said woman was hunkered down in the King Raven, blood splattered on the right side of her face as she pressed her finger into her ear. _"Yes sir, and the smart thing to do right now would be to leave."_ she said on the comms.

Hoffman pointed at Kim, "You, get it done!" he then addressed Marcus, "I expect you to give me 110% Fenix!"

"I'm not doing this for you." Marcus snapped back gruffly.

The Colonel sneered at him before turning to Pyrrha, "Same goes for you, Nikos. Don't make me regret this."

"I won't let you down, sir." the huntress said, still a little shaken from the recent bloodshed she had been witness to.

Hoffman nodded to her before making his way to his transport. Seconds later the two Ravens rose into the air. Pyrrha watched them disappear, wondering if she could handle a mission of such obvious importance in a world where she had almost no knowledge of

Taking a deep breath, the Mistrilian champion steeled her resolve. Even though she wasn't home, she was still a huntress, and innocent people were in danger. She couldn't walk away from something like this, despite the danger, it would go against everything she ever believed in and trained for.

A hand on her shoulder had her looking up at Dom. "You okay?" he asked.

The huntress nodded with another deep sigh, "It's just a lot to take in all at once in such a short a period of time."

"Around here, that's pretty normal. Believe me." the man motioned to where the others were waiting. "Com'mon, this world isn't going to save itself." Pyrrha gave a small smile as they regrouped with the rest of the squad.

"Everything good?" asked Kim.

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes. I'm ready Lieutenant."

Nodding, Kim reached into one of the pockets on his belt and produced an earpiece that he handed to the young champion who accepted the device and slipped it into her right ear. "Let's get moving, Alpha's counting on us." the Lieutenant ordered as they made their way up the steps, past the bodies of the Locust they had killed and into the building they had appeared from.

**X**

It didn't take very long to encounter more Locust that were laying in wait. But they were quickly dropped by the squad of five as they pushed toward their objective.

Although not her usual fighting style, Pyrrha had adapted very quick to the Gears' techniques on the battle field. Most of which involved taking cover and picking off their enemies when they popped out. Those that managed to get close enough were dealt with just as swiftly.

Taking down another drone that was attempting to run behind a crumbling pillar, Pyrrha dropped back down to reload her weapon when another drone leapt over where Marcus was hunkered down. The man bashed the stock of his lancer against the creature's face, staggering it before revving the chainsaw bayonet of his rifle and slammed it into the drone's chest.

Blood and chunks of armor and flesh sprayed into the air, the drone roaring in agony as Marcus cut it in half from shoulder to waist. Uncaring of the gore that now painted the front of his armor.

Dom tossed a bolo-grenade into a hole the Locust had opened up in the ground, the explosion killing two nearby drones and sealing the hole, preventing more from making an appearance.

When the last of their enemies fell, the team made sure their weapons were reloaded before continuing on. Crossing a small bridge toward another building when they caught sight of a massive hole in the courtyard below with several bodies surrounding it.

"Control, this is Delta." Kim said into his radio, "We have visuals on Alpha. Possible KIA. No sign of resonator."

_"Roger that Delta, keep looking." _replied the communications officer watching over them.

The squad started making their way down to the opening in the ground, hoping to find their objective, or even survivors.

"Man, I hope that's not Rojas down there." said Dom, "His little boy just turned two last week."

Pyrrha felt her heart get heavy at the man's words, her sympathies going out to the families of these people.

Reaching their destination, the began looking over the bodies for any signs of the sonic device they were looking for.

"Well, it could be Alpha." said the Lieutenant.

"COG tags are gone." Marcus reported, having looked over a dead Gear with half his head missing.

Carmine was by the edge of the hole with a large, egg-shaped device in his hands. "Is that the resonator?" asked Kim.

"Nah." came the reply as the helmet-wearing Gear.

"What do we do now?" asked Pyrrha, doing her best to block out the smell coming off the dead soldiers and ignore the flies buzzing around them.

"We find that resonator." Kim answered strongly before getting on his comm and stepping away.

"Marcus." Dom said, motioning for him to come closer so they could speak in private. "What do you think?"

Marcus looked around before answering, "What do I think? Could be Alpha. Or it could be the Locust setting a trap. There's only one way to know for sure."

"Not even the Grimm were this sadistic." said the huntress, grimacing at the body of a Gear the looked like he had his arm torn off from the socket. Just what creatures were these Locust?

"Our next objective is the House of Sovereigns. Let's move." Kim ordered as they set out once again. Anthony bringing up the rear while tossing the device he had been tinkering with over his shoulder and into the hole.

They barely made it a few steps before another squad of Locust came out of hiding and fired upon them. One of them getting behind a stationary gun emplacement and sending a torrent of slugs that cut into the concrete around them as they split up.

Marcus, Kim and Dom were pinned down behind a fallen pillar taking the brunt of the assault while Pyrrha and Anthony were behind a large panel van across from them.

"Dammit, we're pinned down!" Dom shouted, unable to even leaned out enough to pick off a single target.

"Nikos! Carmine! Flank them!" The Lieutenant shouted over to them.

The huntress and the Gear waited for the right moment before going around the back end of the van and into a sealed off area of the street safe from the turret's line of fire. Creeping along to avoid being noticed.

Approaching where the turret was set up, the duo was halted when a pair of drones came out and opened fire on them.

"Shit!" Anthony shouted as they were forced behind a cracked concrete barricade.

Pyrrha peeked her head over their cover, only to duck back down when a couple of rounds tore through where she had just been. Thinking quickly, she looked around for something to help them, her gaze locking onto a broken lamp post right next to where the Locust soldiers were firing on them.

With Anthony trying to take out the drones with his lancer, the champion reached her hand out and summoned her semblance. The iron post creaked and groaned before it was harshly yanked downward. It's base bending like cheap aluminum as it came down and crushed one of the Locust.

Stunned at its partner's sudden demise, the other drone was gunned down by Anthony before it had a chance to react.

"Man, that was a lucky break." said the Gear as they moved up.

"Yeah, lucky." Pyrrha replied sheepishly as they made their way behind where the gun emplacement was set up. Carmine wasted no time in killing the gun operator before taking control of it and shredding the rest of the squad that attacked them with the huntress backing him up with her lancer.

Within moments the area had been cleared and allowed Delta to regroup.

"Great work you two." said Kim. "Let's get going, we still have to locate that resonator."

As they headed farther off into the city, Pyrrha looked back over her shoulder at all the dead Locusts and wondered just how much harder things would become.

**X**

**A/N: Oh Pyrrha, if you only knew.**

**Like I said up top, the chapters are still coming up short, but I'm intending on making the next one at least 5,000 words or more now that the 'Introduction Period' is now out of the way.**

**On a completely different note, I've started to read a lot of the RWBY watches stories that are out there, and am a fan of the one titled 'RWBY and Friends watch Resident Huntsman' (RWBY/Resident Evil crossover). With this in mind, anyone out there that wishes to make this story into something similar will have my full support. **

**Anyone who is a fan would probably like to see the reaction of the RWBY cast, especially Pyrrha's team, when they see that she's still alive and what she's gotten into.**

**Any takers drop me a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. **

**Until next time guys!**


	5. Act 1 - Part 3: RAAM

**A/N: After a long wait, I think it's time for an update and then some.**

**I've gotten a lot of reviews asking about the future content of this story, many offering their ideas and some even pleading for certain changes. And even though I'm more than willing to make a couple alterations, let's not forget one simple fact.**

**This is Sera we're talking about. Bloody, unforgiving, and merciless. It's the darker side of war that many never consider. To say that Pyrrha may not come out of this journey unscathed is a pipe-dream at best, and she will learn many things along the way...not a lot of it good or even fair. Such is war, and war changes you in ways you can never imagine...**

**For now, sit back, relax, and lets see how everyone's favorite champion will handle the trials to come.**

**X**

If there were a specific word to describe the Locust, Pyrrha believed that word would have been relentless.

The red-headed huntress had been well trained for combat against both Grimm and Human/Faunus enemies. Had honed her skills for years to handle any situation she might encounter when she became a full fledged huntress.

However, nothing could prepare her to face anything like the Locust horde.

The creatures of Grimm were feral and deadly, but they relied on their vast numbers and savagery to kill Humans and Faunus. The minority being the ones who had lived longer and had gained intelligence to either lead packs or avoid the kingdoms to bide their time.

But the Locust...they were coordinated, they were skilled with guns like a Human would be, and they could take a great deal of punishment before being brought down.

On top of everything, their hatred for Humanity was right on par with the Grimm. It showed in their actions with how they threw themselves into the fight regardless if they lived or died as long as they killed as many Humans as possible.

At almost every step of their journey, Pyrrha and the members of Delta Squad were attacked by a seemingly endless horde of Locust who made it their mission to kill them before they could find the resonator. And no matter how many they killed, more would take their place.

It really didn't take the young huntress very long to integrate herself into the the dynamic the Gears had while in a firefight. Though she had to restrain herself a couple of times from jumping into her fray and using the skills she had trained in for so long.

Currently the group had just finished clearing out a couple of gutted buildings where a large group of drones had been stationed. Another, bigger group tried to retake the area, but the combined fire of the squad, one of them taking the stationary turret that had been on site, they had been dealt with quickly before they could gain any ground.

"Good job, everyone." Kim said after the last of the Locust fell. "Now let's get that resonator."

A door leading out of the building suddenly burst open and a drone wielding a shotgun charged in with gun blazing. But a barrage of slugs cut it down before it had a chance to hit anyone.

Pyrrha ejected the spent magazine from her lancer and fed a new one into place. "Nice shooting, Nikos." the Lieutenant praised as they went through the door the drone had come through and down a narrow hallway. Kim leading, Marcus and Dom backing him up with Anthony and the huntress bringing up the rear.

"Soooo..." Anthony said, shifting a little awkwardly.

Pyrrha looked up at him, "Yes?"

The Gear tried to think of something to say but ended up sighing, "Sorry, was never really one for social conversation. That was more Ben's thing."

"Ben?" asked the huntress.

"My little brother. He's still in training to become a Gear like me and our older brother Clayton." replied the soldier.

"Your family's in the military too?" asked Pyrrha, interested in getting to know the ones she was now fighting with.

Anthony nodded, "Well, most of us. Dad fought in the war before the Locust showed up. Mom works as a dispatcher with the COG. Ben, Clayton and I are Gears. But our other brother is working to help the civilian refugees."

The red-head blinked, "Four brothers, must be nice to have siblings."

"Gave mom some grey hairs, but we've always been there for each other growing up. When Clay went off to fight I wasn't too far behind. Me and our brothers looked up to him like that." said the Gear before looking down at her, "What about you? Any family?"

Pyrrha bit her lip, thinking about home again. "Just my mother. Never had siblings. But a good friend of mine told me he had seven sisters."

Anthony stumbled a step, "Seven sisters?! Damn. That guy must have the patience of a saint being the only guy. He must really know his way around women."

The huntress thought back to how Jaune tried to be suave back when they first met and couldn't help but laugh lightly. His aloof and at times goofy nature was one of the many traits she liked about him. "In a manner of speaking." she said after a moment or two.

They reached the end of the corridor where Marcus kicked open a door that led out to a abandoned parking lot.

Once back outside, the team looked at the large building across from them. The front in the shape of a half circle with steps leading to the doors, **'House of Sovereigns' **proudly displayed just under the edge of the roof.

"Control this is Delta, any word on Alpha?" asked the Lieutenant asked into his comm as they approached the building.

_"Negative, Delta. We still have radio silence, over."_

"Roger that. Dom, Fenix, you'll look for a way in. Carmine, Nikos and I will stay back and suppress." Kim said to the squad.

"What about Alpha?" asked Marcus.

"We'll save 'em if we can." The two men made their way toward the building while the remaining three hung back to keep them covered.

A small squad of drones met the duo head on, but Marcus and Dom's teamwork was nearly flawless as they cleared the entrance out. The others taking out a couple of stragglers that tried to flank them.

"All clear!" Marcus called them on the comms before the squad regrouped on the steps.

Anthony sat behind a pile of sandbags messing with his lancer and cursing loudly. "You good?" asked Kim, seeing the man's struggle.

"Yeah, but I got a problem." replied the Gear as he tried and failed to feed a clip into the rifle again, "Something's wrong with this damn thing! It keeps jamming!"

Pyrrha went to go over to offer help when something caught her eye. Movement back toward the parking lot they had come from.

Narrowing her eyes, she managed to see a lone Locust drone lean out from behind a derelict car. A sniper rifle in hand and aiming toward them, toward...

"GET DOWN!" the champion screamed, tackling Anthony as a round tore through the air and struck her shoulder. Her aura taking the brunt of the damage, but the impact made her arm go numb.

The rest of Delta opened fire on the sniper's location, making mince meat out of it before it had a chance to load a new round.

On his back, Anthony blinked in shock as how close he had just came to having his head blown off. His face turning red beneath his helmet when he found himself face to face with the beautiful red-head laying on his chest, emerald-green eyes locking with the glowing blue lenses of his helmet.

"Uhhh...t-thanks." the Gear stuttered, trying to get his nerves over the current situation under control.

Pyrrha smiled before blushing when she saw the position they were in. Getting up, she offered a hand to Anthony and pulled him to his feet. "You two alright?" asked Kim once they were sure the area was cleared.

"Still alive, thankfully." replied the huntress, rubbing her shoulder as the feeling started coming back to her arm.

The Lieutenant saw this and raised an eyebrow, "Strange, could have sworn I saw you take that round to the shoulder."

Pyrrha tried to figure out what to say when Marcus stepped in, "Bottom line she and Carmine are still alive. We should get moving, sir."

Kim cast the man a look before looking back at Pyrrha in scrutiny a moment, "Alright then." he got on his comm, "Control this is Delta, come in." he answer was static.

"Military equipment, always works." Dom commented sarcastically.

"Regardless, we still need to find Alpha and that resonator." said the Lieutenant before leading them to a sealed door with a panel on the wall next to it. "Good thing the Colonel gave me the codes." he added, punching in the proper sequence before the door unlocked and swung open, allowing them entry into the old building.

They had all just barely made it to the base of a flight of stairs when they heard gunfire and shouting from somewhere farther in.

"You guys hear that?" asked Anthony.

"I think we just found Alpha." added Marcus as they went up the stairs and followed all the noise.

"Yeah! Whoo! Bring it on, baby!" Someone shouted out in excitement amongst the firefight they were hearing. "You can't stop this! I got enough for all y'all!"

"Sounds like someone's having a good time." Dom commented as they reached the upper level and looked out into a small courtyard where a lone man stood fighting off Locust on his own. "Holy shit, it's just one guy!"

"That's one for the highlight reel!" the unknown soldier shouted as he kicked another drone into a wall and blew its head off. But more started pouring into the courtyard.

"He needs help!" Pyrrha exclaimed, seeing the man's opposition.

"Open fire!" Kim ordered as they all fired down onto the Locust from their elevated position. The Locust fell under their combined barrage, effectively keeping the man covered as he dropped down to reload.

This lasted for barely a minute before the remaining hostiles were taken down where they stood. Once they were sure that there wouldn't be anymore coming, Delta made their way down to where the lone Gear was set up.

He was a little bigger than some of them with dark skin and a shaved head. His armor was a dull white and grey color unlike the normal blue and black of other Gears, his large arms exposed for all to see.

When he turned to the new arrivals, a wide grin nearly split his face as he approached them. "Yeah, that was beautiful baby!" he said jovally.

"State your name, soldier." said Kim.

"Private Augustus Cole, Alpha Squad, sir." the man, Cole, replied.

Dom and Anthony both perked up, "Cole? As in the 'Cole Train'?!" asked Dom surprised.

"Yeah that's right." the man said with pride.

"Where's the rest of your squad?" asked the Lieutenant, getting the discussion back on track.

Cole motioned farther into the building, "Their sitting tight over in the tombs."

Kim nodded, "We're Delta Squad. We're here to retrieve the sonic device."

"And to get you guys out of here." Marcus added.

"Hell yeah. We've been waiting for the chopper, but the radios don't work for shit." said Cole. "Sir." he quickly added.

"We noticed." said Dom.

"It's the Seeders. They're jamming our transmissions." reported the Alpha soldier.

"Then we have to make those Seeders our top priority, sir." Marcus said to Kim.

The Lieutenant nodded, "Agreed. We need to reestablish radio contact with control. ASAP. Let's move out!"

The now group of six began making their way through the House of Sovereigns, all the while the men of the group were talking about their new addition.

"Can't believe it, number 83." said Anthony, still in awe.

"The one and only, baby." said Cole, still beaming from ear to ear.

Dom nudged Marcus, "Remember this guy? He played for the Cougars, defensive lineman. We watched you play." he said turning to the man in question.

"Hell yeah, everyone wants to see the Train, baby." said the former sportstar.

"Hey Marcus, remember? Division playoffs? 40 yard line?" Dom continued.

"I remember you owe me 20 bucks." Marcus replied with a smirk.

Dom chuckled, "Oh yeah? See me after the war."

Pyrrha giggled at the banter between the squadmates which got the attention of Cole. "Oh, hey there little lady. Don't think we were introduced."

"Pyrrha Nikos. Nice to meet you Agustus." replied the huntress causing the big man to chuckle.

"Just Cole, little red. Love my mama, but never really liked my first name that much. What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here with the uglies?"

"Doing what I can to help people, and stop the Locust." replied the huntress.

"And saving asses when she can." Carmine added, remembering how close he had just come to getting killed minutes ago.

The squad had entered the House of Sovereigns when a small creature suddenly lunged from a dark corner screaming. Dom reacted quicker, striking the thing down with the butt of his rifle before crushing its head beneath his boot. "Fucking Wretches." he spit.

"Wretches?" asked Pyrrha as she looked at what remained of the creature which was barely even half her height.

"Locust use them mostly for cannon fodder. They're more like rabid dogs with claws if you want my opinion." said Carmine, now checking the other corners with the others to be sure that there wasn't anymore laying in wait.

Kim worked on a nearby control panel and opened the way for them, the sealed door leading into a long hallway that ended in a dead end on one side and a large hole on the other that didn't seem to have an end. The Lieutenant tried another door across from the other and found the panel broken and door sealed tight.

"Jack, decloak and rip this door."

Pyrrha was confused about who Kim was talking too until the air close to her distorted and a strange robot suddenly appeared. Roughly as big as one of the guys' upper bodies covered in armored plates baring the Gear's sigil. Four glowing blue optics lit up a small portion of the corridor as a pair of long, thin metal arms extended from its body.

The robot beeped and chirped as it floated over to the door where it began to cut along the edge where the locking mechanism was located with a small blowtorch.

Keeping her questions to herself for the moment, Pyrrha turned to the dead end section of the hallway in time to see something drop from the ceiling. The snarling form of a Wretch growled at the group before letting loose a nearly ear piercing screech that shattered all the windows around them.

"Wretches!" Marcus shouted as more of the small creatures made themselves known and converged on them from all sides. The squad opened fire on the attacking creatures, keeping them at a distance to avoid being mauled to death.

Pyrrha killed a couple of them when her lancer clicked empty, another Wretch ran along the wall, its claws sinking into the stone as it lept at her. Thinking fast, she brought the weapon up where the creature landed on the bayonet, the teeth of the saw doing little to distract it as it continued to try and claw at her.

Gritting her teeth, the huntress grabbed the handle at the top of the lancer and pulled back. The chainsaw bayonet roared to life, the teeth spinning and slicing through the Wretch's weak armor and flesh like wet tissue paper.

The Wretch screeched as it was effectively cut in half. Its blood splashing across Pyrrha's arms, chest and face, forcing her to turn her head to avoid getting it in her eyes and mouth before the creature fell to either side of her.

The rest of Delta finished off the rest of the attacking Wretches in time to see the young champion brutally finish the last one. The bayonet powered down as she stood there with blood dripping down her face and armor, her green eyes staring at the floor unfocused.

"Pyrrha?" asked Dom, concern in his tone when she remained still. Marcus approached her slowly, putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her lightly. The huntress blinked before looking back at him.

"You good, kid?" asked the scarred man.

Pyrrha took a shuttering breath before giving him a weak smile. "Y-Yes. I'm fine." she said, wiping some of the blood from her face.

Marcus didn't need to be experienced to know that she was faking, the others could too. Despite what she had told him and Dom about her combat experience, they both knew that she had yet to see this side of battle. The side that was known to break those who weren't prepared for it, filled with blood, death and brutality all in the sake of survival.

Where any moment could be your last.

Gripping her shoulder, Marcus gave her a nod before they rejoined the others just as Jack got the door open for them and vanished into thin air via cloak. He and Dom shared a look, silently agreeing to keep an eye on the red head.

The squad entered what had once been a library when a horrible, pungent smell assaulted them.

"Damn! What the hell is that smell?!" Dom exclaimed, clutching at his nose.

"Seriously. Something smells wrong in here." added Marcus.

"Its those Seeders. they're nasty, man. Nasty." said Cole

"Thank god I'm wearing a helmet with a filter." Carmine muttered.

"Consider yourself lucky." said Pyrrha as she tried to ignore the stench as best she could.

They stepped out into a wide courtyard, at the furthest end stood a spider-like creature with its rear-end in the air spewing out jellyfish-like creatures into the air that left trails of greenish-black smoke in their wake.

"That...just ain't right." Marcus commented.

Dom smirked as he put his lancer on his back and pulled off another weapon that he aimed at the larger creature. "Then let's make it look less ugly." A small beam projected from the weapon, centering on the beast. A series of loud beeps were heard just before a massive beam of amber colored energy shot down from the sky, scorching the Seeder's armor and flesh and even melting the stone around it.

The attack lasted for a few seconds before ending, the Seeder collapsing to the ground, burnt to a crisp.

"...that was..." Pyrrha couldn't find the words.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about baby, Wooo!" Cole exclaimed.

Dom swapped the weapon with his lancer, "We should use the Hammer of Dawn more often."

"It only works outside, and even then only when the satellites are overhead. Basically, we lucked out." said Kim before trying theic comms, "Control, this is Delta, come in." he was met with static, "Still no good. There must be more Seeders. Let's move out."

**X**

It took them an hour to find and deal with countless Locust squads and the remaining two Seeders that were jamming their transmissions.

Pyrrha had learned along the way that the Seeders spat out Nemacyst, the aerial creatures disrupted the Gears' transmissions and making it difficult to use air support without being brought down by the flyers as well.

Once they managed to establish a connection with Control, they had been patched through to Alpha squad who was pinned down in the tombs across the street from their location. With their evacuation running low on fuel, they needed to clear out a landing zone so they could all get out of there.

Dispatching another group of Locusts, the squad entered a large, circular chamber with an elevated platform in the center and rows of seats on the level above with warrior statues surrounding the main floor.

"What is this place?" asked Pyrrha as she surveyed the large room, reminded of the combat arena back at Beacon.

"The Grand Courtroom." said Kim as he looked around the chamber as well, "This used to be a beautiful place. There's a lot of history here."

"A lot of lies too." Marcus said roughly.

The Lieutenant glared at him, "You've got some nerve, soldier. I heard all about your trial."

"His trial was a sham, sir." Dom said, quickly coming to Marcus' defense.

Pyrrha looked at Marcus with a lot of questions on her mind. The man had been on trial?

Going up the flight of steps on the other side of the courtroom, the squad found themselves on a balcony overlooking the tombs and the street between them. A lone Locust arming a stationary gun and firing on the other building.

Dom quickly killed the drone and took the gun while the others spread out and took positions.

"This street is the pickup zone!" Kim shouted, "We need to clear it! That means no Locust on the ground, and no Nemacyst in the air!"

The squad opened fire. Dom, Anthony and Kim focusing on the drones below while Marcus, Cole and Pyrrha shot down the Nemacyst that floated around the tombs. A handful of the creatures attempting a suicide run to the balcony and were quickly taken down before they got too close.

Once the skies were cleared, they all focused on the ground below them. Dom jumped off the stationary gun and pulled out the Hammer of Dawn again, firing the massive laser down on the street and incinerating the drones that were behind cover. When the last of the Locust fell, the squad made their way back down to the ground floor and approached Alpha's location.

"KR Two-Four, we're at the pickup zone now." The Lieutenant said into his earpiece as the left the House of Sovereigns.

_"Copy that, we have visual."_ the pilot answered.

"We're outta here." Dom said, sounding relieved.

Cole shook his head, "Man, I puke my guts out on those things, every time." he groaned.

"Guess you're sitting next to Marcus then." Dom replied quickly which got a smirk out of his friend and a laugh out of Pyrrha and Carmine.

From the tombs, a man with spiked blonde hair with goggles on his head flanked by two Gears in full armor approached with a large device in his hands. Cole met them halfway with a wide grin. "Who loves ya baby!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, group hug." the blonde said sarcastically as he fixed the device to Cole's back. He looked around a moment before sighing, "Where's Rojas?"

Cole's grin vanished as he shook his head, holding up a set of COG tags.

Delta squad stood guard, looking at the many open windows and doorways around them incase any Locust were laying in wait. Pyrrha was doing the same, her green eyes searching for any movement.

Even though everything was silent, something didn't feel right. Like a chill going up her spine trying to warn her of something.

"You feel it too?" Marcus asked, standing beside her. Before the huntress could answer, a King Raven was heard closing in, drawing all eyes to their incoming transport.

This didn't last long as a pair of Nemacyst flyers appeared and shot toward the chopper.

"LOCUST!" Marcus shouted as the kamikaze creatures struck the Raven and exploded, causing it to pitch to the side and crash through a building before hitting the ground and sliding up the street in a ball of fire and metal.

The squad jumped out of the way of the incoming wreck only for a hailstorm of bullets to start flying around them. Dozens upon dozens of Locust flooding the street and firing on the Humans and forcing them into whatever cover they could find.

Pyrrha found herself pulled down behind a large concrete block beside Marcus and Dom, doing her best to cover them from behind as more drones began flanking them. Over the ringing in her ears and the endless roar of gunfire, she could make out the others shouting to one another.

Reloading her lancer, she looked to her left. Through the flaming wreckage of the King Raven she could see Kim holding his own against the coming horde, trying to shout out orders to the others while fighting to stay alive.

The young champion's green eyes caught movement and turned to see a lone Locust, easily three times bigger than the drones around him wearing full black armor coming up behind the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant! Look out!" she tried to shout over all the chaos, but he didn't hear her as the imposing Locust closed in.

As if sensing the coming danger, Kim finally spun around and tried to shoot. But his lancer clicked empty. Instead he revved his bayonet and charged...

Only to have it stopped cold in the Locust's hand.

Yanking the weapon from the stunned Lieutenant's grasp, his massive foot came up and kicked the Human hard in the chest. Sending him sprawling to the street before he could draw his sidearm.

_**I AM PLEASED WITH OUR PROGRESS.**_

The Locust stomped up tp the downed man, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him in the air effortlessly.

_**I UNDERSTAND WE'VE LOCATED ANOTHER SQUAD.**_

Pyrrha watched the one holding Kim draw a massive serrated knife and ran into help. Avoiding the coming rounds as best she could while doing so.

_**OUR STRATEGY REMAINS THE SAME.**_

The blade was stabbed through the Lieutenant's stomach, forced all the way to the hilt and making him cough blood.

_**CUT THE HEAD OFF THE SNAKE, AND THE BODY DIES.**_

"NO!" Pyrrha screamed, firing her lancer at the Locust. The bullets bouncing off his armor and causing him to look her way. Kim's blood splattered across his pale face as he ripped the blade from the now dead man's body and tossing him to the ground, the same arm coming around and swatting the young red head aside as though she were a fly.

_**WE WILL WIN THIS WAR, IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.**_

Shaking off the disorientation, the huntress looked up as the one who killed Kim was now looming over her. Bloody knife still in hand as he pointed down at her.

_**"Sssssserve the Queen."**_

Glaring at the murdering beast, she was reminded of how she was helpless to stop the invasion of Vale. How she couldn't save all those innocent people, how she couldn't stop Cinder's plans, and how she couldn't help her new ally from meeting his end, Pyrrha felt an emotion she never thought she would feel.

Rage.

A burning inferno that started in her chest and spread to the rest of her body. Her aura began to spread across her body in a red glow that caused the Locust to pause as the huntress allowed the fire in her veins to flow through her.

A warcry unlike anything she had ever done before ripped from her throat as she thrust both hands forward. The Locust's armor became shrouded in black energy before he was suddenly and violently thrown backward, crashing through the wall of the building behind him and disappearing from sight.

Breathing heavily, Pyrrha suddenly began to feel light headed. The surge in her aura nearly draining her completely and causing exhaustion to settle in, the rest of the world fading as her vision lost focus.

The sounds of combat sounding miles away as she collapsed to the hard ground beneath her. She didn't feel herself being picked up in large pair of arms or someone shouting her name. Her last waking memory being darkness and the slamming of massive steel doors before slipping away completely.

**X**

**A/N...**

**You know, I think the chapter speaks for itself.**

**Read, review and kickass folks. The next one's coming soon!**


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